Case against pet store owner postponed

A hearing for the owner of a Warren pet store charged with animal cruelty was postponed Thursday to give his attorney more time to obtain and review evidence.

Dennis Jones, 57, faces up to two years in jail, a $2,000 fine and 300 hours of community service if he is convicted of the felony charge that followed the seizure of dozens of animals in May at Greenwood Pets & Plants, on Nine Mile Road.

Animal control officers removed dozens of animals -- including kittens, birds, two roosters, a 10-foot Burmese python, an iguana, a puppy and a tarantula -– from the business. The building lacked electricity and water service because utilities were cut off.

Most of the animals were mildly or severely under-nourished. Of the three dozen cockatiels, several were bloodied and some had broken wings and toes. Two died less than 24 hours after being removed from the pet store.

A preliminary examination scheduled Thursday in 37th District Court to determine whether Jones should stand trial in Macomb County Circuit Court was adjourned to July 25.

Jones waived his right to a probable-cause hearing for possession of marijuana, second offense.

In a separate legal matter late last month, District Judge Jennifer Faunce ordered that animals taken from the landmark Warren pet shop could be sold. Faunce’s order stemmed from a garnishment and default judgment against the store and Jones over his unpaid legal fees to an attorney, according to court records.

Court records show Jones owes more than $2,000 to attorney Robert Binkowski for representing him in a civil lawsuit filed in 2007 that resulted in the dismissal of a claim against the Warren pet shop owner. Binkowski had filed a garnishment action against Greenwood Pets & Plants in September 2012. Two months later, Faunce ruled Binkowski should receive $2,171. The judge found Greenwood in default in late March, and Binkowski subsequently requested that property be seized. Faunce granted the request.

In her May 16 ruling, Faunce said: “Due to the difficulty in storage and perishability of the property of the defendants seized at Greenwood, the court orders that property be sold immediately.”

The Macomb County Treasurer’s Office placed a tax lien on the longtime pet shop last month because of $2,977 in unpaid personal property taxes over the past three years, Macomb County Treasurer Ted Wahby said.